My Goddess, My
by jayb
Summary: Suppose Keiichi has had his home destroyed one time too many. Can the problem be stopped?


**MY GODDESS, MY ...**

Prologue:

The day with its bright blue sky and cool temperature had been an exciting one for them. They had been on hand to see their daughter take over as the Director of the Nekomi Tech Motor Club, then they had decided to take the back road to the Nekomi satellite campus. The curves taken at high speed with the antique BMW brought back memories of the race against Chihiro's ghost bike. Neither of them saw the oil spill on the road since it was hidden by a sharp curve. Now the slick spot brought those happy memories to a halt.

As Keiichi lost steering with the motorcycle combo moving sideways, he felt Belldandy grab his arm. The bike shot over the edge of the mountain and he began to lift from the seat. Bell's pull on his arm made him look down at her as she fell from the sidecar. All he could see in the full face helmet was the fear in her blue eyes. Her fear was like a wave in his mind. He grabbed her as the bike moved away, leaving them falling the two hundred feet to the bottom of the cliff.

The Beginning:

Keiichi sat leaning against the porch post. Along with the rips in his pants and on the back of his shirt, some with spots of blood showing, he looked exhausted. Belldandy knelt by his side, gently moving his badly bruised arm.

"Ow! That still hurts!" He immediately felt ashamed, especially as Bell looked up with sadness in her eyes. "I'm sorry Bell. That just took me by surprise. Didn't even know I hurt there."

"It's my fault, dear. I'm sorry." She moved her head down and gently kissed the bruised place. The color began to leave the spot as she raised her head up. "There, that takes care of those."

Bell sat back, and put her hands to her face. Keiichi saw the tears before she could hide them. He reached over with the newly healed arm and pulled her to him.

"Come on Bell. It didn't hurt that much. And besides you fixed me right up!" He gave her his best smile.

She rubbed her eyes, and sniffed. "Still, I should have known it could hurt when I moved it."

Keeping his arm around her, he pulled her over to lean against him. She put her head on his chest, and put an arm around him. He gave a little twitch when she hit a spot that hadn't been healed. They sat quietly together, and her head slowly fell against him as she went into her power regeneration sleep.

A quiet footstep, and a rap on the head, jolted him from his quiet thoughts.

"Hey, pervert, not so close to my sister!" Skuld stood right beside him with her hands on her hips. As he shifted slightly to look up at her, he could see her smiling. "Gotcha! Sorry but I couldn't help myself, Keiichi. You just looked way too comfortable."

Urd came from the hall stretching her arms above her head. "Okay, K-boy, we fixed everything up that was broken." Glancing down at Belldandy with Keiichi's arm around her, she added. "And it looks like Bell has you taken care of."

Keiichi shifted himself a little and Bell slid down. "Hey, Urd, help me with Bell would you. Just get her head to lay on my lap, and stretch her out." Urd and Skuld complied, and Belldandy never woke. "Thanks, I still have a couple of aches that she didn't get time to heal. This feels much better."

Urd looked down at her sleeping sister, with her head resting in Keiichi's lap. Smiling, she bent down and whispered in his ear. "Hey, Keiichi, I thought you'd like to know I even was able to fix your room up real special for you."

Keiichi closed his eyes and let out a sigh, this had become just another part of life with Urd . "What this time? Another love hotel room? Couldn't you just make it normal, please."

"What, that's not normal? As many times as I've fixed it that way, it should be normal by now. It won't hurt for you to have a little change now and then, would it? Besides, I didn't say that's how I fixed it, now did I?"

Skuld was walking toward the steps down to the street. "Hey, Keiichi, take care of Belldandy. Urd can give you a hand if you need. I'm going to the motocross finals, see you both later."

Urd looked at Keiichi and noticed something in his look. Looking over her shoulder she called to Skuld. "Hey, wait a second, I'm going with you. I think Sentaro likes to have me there to cheer him on." She turned back to Keiichi and bent down slightly. He looked at her just as she leaned forward and gave him a kiss on the lips. Keiichi's eyes widened and he sat in silent shock.

From the steps Skuld called out. "Urd, that's gross! Now you have Keiichi germs. Or he has Urd germs and that could even be worse."

Urd stood up and headed over to Skuld with a little smile. Looking back at Keiichi, who still wasn't sure what had happened, the smile broadened. "I trust you K-boy. Don't let me down."

As the two goddesses went down the steps, Skuld looked over at Urd with narrowed eyes. "You didn't put a spell on him did you?"

With as innocent a look as Urd could ever get, she grinned. "Not me. Never! Wouldn't think of such a thing." Turning a little toward Skuld, and looking her straight in the eyes. "And I don't think Keiichi germs will do anything to me. They sure haven't hurt Belldandy." The smile twisted slightly. "No more than Sentaro germs have done anything to you."

Skuld reddened, but kept walking straight ahead without a pause. "Been spying on us my second class goddess sister?"

"No, didn't have to, you just verified it. I never have checked out those rides along the river. Or the walks alone together after the races. Or the nights spent working on his motorcycle. And definitely not the study nights for his big high school exam. Nope, not me."

It was a not a quiet trip to the motocross race.

Keiichi sat still and blinked a couple of times. Mentally he checked himself out, trying to find if anything were different after having Urd kiss him. The sore places were gone, so maybe that's all she did. He snorted, talking to Belldandy, as if she could hear him. "Can't find anything different, but that's not a good indicator of anything. At least she didn't try giving me one of her weird pills." Looking down at the sleeping goddess he followed the curve of her forehead and cheek with his finger. "Luckiest guy on earth aren't I?" He smoothed a few loose hairs away from her closed eyes. "Beautiful girlfriend, lots of excitement, more goddesses than I could ever hope for. Even a regularly rebuilt house. " He leaned his head against the post. "Why don't I feel good about this? Can you tell me, my beautiful Belldandy?" His eyes closed. "What am I doing wrong? What do I need to be doing, my love?"

Sleep took over.

Two:

Keiichi woke with a start when his head slipped off the porch post. He could tell it was late afternoon, and Belldandy still was asleep with her head on his lap. Shaking his head, and blinking the sleep from his eyes, he gave a yawn. "Must have needed that." He tried to stretch his legs without disturbing his goddess.

Looking across the yard of the shrine he watched birds hopping among the bushes. His stare became fixed, as his mind drifted in thought. This morning had not been a good one for him. As he relived it, his body would twitch. Remembering the falling roof, and Belldandy not able to get her shield up in time to fully protect him, made his back hurt. He swore to never let it happen again if it was in his power to do so.

When a hand reached up and touched Keiichi's face, he jumped a little, startled. Looking down he saw Belldandy smiling up at him. He took her hand in his and squeezed it. "Hey, you awake now?" Looking down at her sleepy face he couldn't think of anything else but her when she smiled like that.

Belldandy sat up slowly and looked around. "Where's Skuld and Urd? I need to help get the house cleaned up." As she started to rise, Keiichi held her back.

"Don't worry about cleanup, they did it earlier and left to watch Sentaro's race." His eyes still had a distant look to them, and Belldandy noticed.

"Keiichi, what's wrong? You aren't with me right now, your thoughts are somewhere else. Have I done something wrong?" She brought up her other hand to her mouth, and tears were starting to form in her eyes. Her breath caught and her eyes widened as she thought of her worst fear. "Do you want me to leave? Are you tired of having me here, because of what happened this morning?" She leaned her head against Keiichi's chest.

Taken by surprise at her reaction, Keiichi put his arms around her and squeezed tight. His face was buried in her dark blond hair as he shook his head and whispered. "No! No, never! That's my whole problem, I don't want you to leave me, ever." He kissed her forehead as she raised up to look at him. Letting go with one arm, he wiped her tears from her cheeks, and gave her a little smile. "Bell, I don't ever want that thought to ever come up again."

Turning his body to face her, he held both her arms in a tight grip. Her face showed confusion as he looked directly into her blue eyes, those eyes bluer than the sky, that he had almost lost. He shook slightly from pent up emotion, and his voice was an uncontrolled whisper.

"Belldandy, I'm scared, really scared. This time I almost lost you! Just to even think that scares me, and this time it almost happened." He took a deep breath. "I have to know, right now, what can I do so I never lose you." His grip tightened slightly. "Bell, I know you're here as long as I want you. I know you are here because you love me." He paused and shook his head, as if to rid it of the memory of what had happened earlier that day. "I want to know how to stop this morning from ever happening again." His hands slid down her arms to her hands as he slid off the porch to his knees, facing her. "Belldandy, I love you and will always want you with me. I want you to be my real wife, and be with me to raise a family. Please, Belldandy, will this stop them from trying to send you back?" He choked on the last words, and his body shaking, laid his face into her lap.

Keiichi couldn't see Bell's face as it changed to a calm, reflective look. Her eyes closed and she freed one hand laying it on his head, her mouth moved as she spoke unheard words. The shaking stopped, his body relaxed. "Keiichi, can you hear me?" His head moved in the affirmative. "Keiichi, it isn't what you can do that would stop their trying. It's me and what I would have to do." He raised his head and looked at her, his face was devoid of expression. Belldandy stood up holding one of Keiichi's hands, her voice had gained strength. "Let's go for a walk, I've rested enough." He rose from his knees and walked beside her across the yard with his hand held in hers like a child.

The pair walked into the wooded area past the shrine. Belldandy was silent. When they reached a small clearing Bell stopped and turned toward Keiichi.

"Keiichi, you are my love and always will be. But I am Belldandy, Goddess First Class of Yggdrasil, and as long as I am a goddess I could be recalled, or someone, demon or god, will try to make me go back by force, just like today." Her small quieting spell kept Keichi from interrupting. She stood straight with her head up. "I am frightened of that happening, as much or more than you are. Never do I want that to happen!" She shut her eyes and raised her chin. "There is only one way for me not to be recalled. And that has frightened me even more." She made a sign with her finger and the look on Keiichi's face became more normal. "Keiichi, I have removed my spell so you will hear, understand, and remember all that I must say." She put her hand on his cheek. "And so you will truly know, and understand, what your answer means when you give it."

Three:

Keiichi started to say something, but Belldandy put a finger tip on his lips. Smiling gently she whispered. "Shh, just listen first, my dearest one." She took both his hands in hers.

"Keiichi, I can stay with you as long as you wish me to as a goddess. It would be just like all the years we've been together. I would have my power to use for you, just as I healed you today." She paused and looked into his eyes, willing for full understanding. "But time has passed, Keiichi dear, and you are getting older even if it doesn't show. My love, as a goddess I will never age. One day you will be an old man, and I will be the same as I am now." Keiichi started to speak again. Again she placed the finger on his lips. "Not yet, dear."

"I do have a way of looking as if I age, but that is for outward appearance only. When you are gone, I could turn back to my true self." She paused, closed her eyes a second and sighed. "But that would be a lie to you and me both. I can not lie as a goddess first class. Nor would I want to watch you disappear from my life like that."

"My other option has frightened me in the past." She looked at Keiichi hoping for realization on his part, but saw none. "I could become human. Keiichi, I would be the same as you, to live with you, to age, and one day to die." She dropped one of his hands and turned slightly so she wasn't facing him directly. "Several years ago I lost my power for only a week. I didn't like that experience, and told you that I wanted to remain a goddess with all my powers." Her head lowered with the remembrance and feeling of shame. "But there was more to it than that, dear. I was still afraid that one day you would want me to leave. That you would be tired having me with you. If I was no longer a goddess I could not go back to Yggdrasil. I would have to stay on earth. And to stay on earth without you would be intolerable to me. Therefore I was afraid to lose that power."

Belldandy, sighed, and turned back to Keiichi. Stepping up to him she let go of his hand and put her arm around him. Standing close, touching his body with hers, she leaned toward his ear. "Keiichi, my beloved, could you possibly want me as a human wife? Never to have the use of my powers again? Never having the option of sending me back to Yggdrasil. Could you possibly love me, and want me that much?"

Keiichi finally was able to move his body. Slowly he encircled her waist with both arms. Composing himself after Bell's confession, he took a breath before he could talk. She was giving him her true feelings as she always had. But there was a cost he hadn't fully understood before.

"Belldandy, I asked you a little while ago if you would stay and be my real wife. It didn't occur to me what you would give up in return. It is for you to decide your answer, and for me to live with that answer." He pulled away and looked at her, his resolve strengthened. "My answer to your question is 'yes', I would want you as a human wife. My question is, do you want to stay with me in those circumstances?"

Without hesitation Belldandy stepped back from Keiichi, pulling his arms loose from her waist. She stood tall and straight, looking at him. "Give me you left hand." A demand, not a request. Taking his left hand in hers, and linking their fingers, she raised his arm toward the sky. Suddenly Keiichi and Belldandy were surrounded by a rainbow of color. As Keiichi focused he realized they were standing in a ball of changing colors. Outside the ball he could see birds standing still in mid-flight, their wings not moving. Looking over at Belldandy he could see her eyes shut and her face relaxed.

A voice spoke to Keiichi. He couldn't tell if he heard it through his ears, or only in his mind. It was a whisper, the speaker of indeterminate sex, not male and not female.

"Keiichi Morisato, you have asked for the Goddess First Class Belldandy to stay with you on your earth, and as a human. You are aware of the consequences to her with that commitment?"

Keiichi at first nodded his head in the affirmative, then caught himself and spoke out loud. "Yes, I do know what she will lose, and I still ask her to stay. Am I being selfish? Is that something she doesn't want to give up? She hasn't told me what she wants. I don't care, I want her with me either way, goddess or human."

The whispering voice didn't answer. Close to their upraised hands a pin point of brightness formed. It grew to marble size, almost too bright to look at. The ball of light became a silver circle, that twisted into the figure eight. The eight split at its crossing point and separated into two circles. The twin silver circles lowered toward Belldandy and Keiichi's fingers, and flowed around their ring fingers. The glow dimmed to a bright silver. Keichi had almost jerked his hand away thinking the circle was hot, but is was cool against his skin.

The voice surprised him. "You and Belldandy are now sealed together by the power of Yggdrasil. This is her decision. I also give you a gift. You will feel what Belldandy feels from your actions. That can bring joy to you, or pain if you do something against her."

Keiichi, confused, waited to be told more but it didn't come. Suddenly Belldandy's body stiffened, pulling her hand from his. Her head was flung back, and her arms became outstretched and she lifted from the ground. Too fast for Keiichi to react, he watched as light flowed upward from the goddess marks on her forehead and cheeks. Her body became encircled by a whirlwind of light. Quickly the light dimmed and the whirlwind

slowed down. Belldandy's face was devoid of marks, and to Keiichi's surprise, she was naked. Her arms fell down to her sides and she started to collapse. Keiichi was able to react quick enough to catch her before she hit the ground. The colors that had surrounded them disappeared, and the birds flew by.

Four:

Miles away at the motocross race, Urd's head jerked as if hit with a electric shock. Skuld was too engrossed in the race action to catch it.

"Skuld, I'm heading back to the house. Sentaro is winning, and I really think he just wants you at the finish line. See you later."

Still paying attention to the race, and only half listening to her sister, Skuld brushed off the leave taking. "Leave them alone Urd. You don't need to interfere." Urd missed the comment as she was already gone.

Keiichi was in shock. Things had happened so fast that he still didn't have full realization of what had just taken place, and his memory wasn't clear. He held Belldandy close as he knelt on one knee. "Oh, jeez, what now?" He patted her cheek. "Bell, wake up!" No reaction. She didn't seem to be breathing. He thought back to the time long ago when she collapsed in the middle of a race and Urd told him what to do to renew Bell's power. "That's right! Use the spirits of the forest, that must be why she brought me here. To help her with her defense." At first he hesitated, but finally placed his shaking hand on her bare breast, and raised his finger just as Urd had told him. Nothing happened, and his panic grew. "Let's get back to the house, maybe I can use some of Urd's medicine to get you awake." He gathered up the naked young woman and raced back to the house.

Rushing into the house and down the hall, Keiichi checked Belldandy's room. It was clean and no futon was laid out. Same with Urd's and Skuld's rooms, so that only left his. Sliding the door aside he was surprised it wasn't the "normal" love hotel. This time Urd had only fixed it with a pair of futons side by side. "Thank goodness! Come on Belldandy, wake up!" He laid her on one futon and covered her body to the neck with the cover. Behind him he heard a throat being cleared. Turning he saw Urd standing against the door frame.

"Urd! Come on over here and help me with Belldandy! I can't even tell if she's breathing!" His feeling of loss was growing.

Urd raised an eyebrow and walked over to the futon and knelt down. She placed her finger on Belldandy's forehead and then her cheeks. Her hand went to Bell's left ring finger and touched the silver ring. With her back to Keiichi he didn't see her smile gently, or hear her. "So my sister, you made your decision."

Keiichi was panicking. "Come on Urd, do something! Help me! I don't know what they did to her."

Standing up, Urd turned and looked down at the visibly shaken Keiichi. Closing her eyes, she took a deep breath, and opened them again. "All right, K-boy, let's get first things first." On his left hand she saw the matching silver ring to Belldandy's. "First, Belldandy is not dead, dying or sick." Keiichi's face and body relaxed. "Second, she is asleep, and only needs to be awakened." Keiichi got a confused look on his face.

"Asleep? Did that battle she had in the woods use up her power again?"

"Battle?" Urd shook her head, and put her hand on Keiichi's head. "Why, oh why, is my brother-in-law so slow." She gave his head a rap with her knuckles.

"Ow, that hurt! Come on, Urd, how do I wake her up?" Keiichi stopped and got a thoughtful look on his face. "Urd, why did you say 'brother-in-law'?"

Urd knelt down facing the now very confused Keichi, and put her hands on his shoulders. "Keiichi, that was not a battle. Now how can I put this so you might understand." She paused a second and sighed. "Belldandy gave up being a goddess just for you. That 'battle' was her power being released. Belldandy is now human just like you. She has no goddess power. If you look you'll see that she doesn't have her goddess marks on her forehead or cheeks." Keiichi's mouth opened in shock and he glanced over to verify what Urd said. "And since it appears you don't quite know what happened, that ring on your finger is the same as hers." Urd leaned closer, and looked Keiichi straight in the eye. She spoke slowly so he would understand. "Those are Yggdrasil seal rings. You and she are sealed together for eternity. In human terms, you are married and she is your wife, and you are my brother-in-law. Got it?"

Keiichi sat back, stunned. "Human? But she never gave me an answer! I told her it was her decision, and she didn't give me an answer. I thought she was being punished for even thinking about becoming human!" He stopped, and looked thoughtful. "Guess she did give me an answer then, didn't she." Keiichi looked up to Urd. "But how do I wake her up?"

Urd gave him a big smile. "In your human fairy tales how does the beautiful princess get awakened from a deep sleep?" The blank look Keiichi had on his face spoke volumes. Urd leaned forward. "The handsome prince kisses the princess. She wakes and they are supposed to live happily ever after." Urd gave him a kiss for the second time that day. Leaving him sitting by the futon, she stood up and headed for the door to his room. Looking over her shoulder she made a parting remark. "Kiss your wife, Keiichi." As Keiichi did as he was told, Belldandy's arm went around his neck. Urd smiled with satisfaction as she pulled the door shut putting a small locking spell on it.

Epilogue:

Keiichi managed to grab Belldandy's other arm as they fell. The rocks below were coming up fast. He tried to speak but only was able to mouth, "Sorry."

Without warning there was silence as the wind seemed to stop whistling past. Around the pair a wall of white appeared. To Keiichi's eyes the white wall turned into feathers! Belldandy and he were pulled together by the gentle pressure of a pair of arms as the wings spread wide. He could see the amazement in his wife's eyes, and then the lines in the corners as she began to smile. Their feet touched the rock at the bottom of the cliff, and the wings started to fold.

Belldandy pulled the helmet off her head and looked at her angel Holy Bell floating beside the pair. Keiichi was stunned, and watched in silence as his Belldandy and her angel embraced. Holy Bell broke the embrace rose slightly and faded from sight.

"Belldandy, how..." Keiichi was at a loss for words. Belldandy had given up her goddess powers when she became human all those years ago.

She turned to her husband with tears and a smile. "My gift! He said he gave me a gift when I lost my power! She was my gift." The tears came faster as Keiichi tightly held Belldandy at the foot of the cliff.


End file.
